Season 18: Episode 6 - I Feel Like a Monkey in a Circus Parade

When teams raced to Kolkata, India, a tea inspired Roadblock stumped Luke causing him and Margie to be eliminated while father and daughter Gary & Mallory came in first place and celebrated with Snapple.

TEA TIMEDeparting the Pit Stop in first place at 2:14pm, cowboys Jet & Cord ripped open their clue sending them to the Jin Fu Yi Zhan Tea Shop in Kunming where they had to takepart in a traditional tea tasting. What teams didn't know was that the papaya and mango infused tea they would be drinking would appear at a challenge later in the leg. When teams completed the tasting, they would receive a brick of tea along with their next clue.

At the Jin Fu Yi Zhan Tea Shop, the eight teams each took their turn tasting the tea poured for them and savoring its favors. However, some teams paid closer attention than others to the tastes and smells of the flavorful tea. Mallory commented how it smelled like peach while Ron & Christina asked the pourer what flavors they detected. When told papaya mango, a surprised Ron exclaimed, "I've never thought this kind of tea existed." Meanwhile, after drinking his cup, Zev told Justin, "I have no idea what that tasted like. That was pointless." Once teams finished the tasting they opened their next clue instructing them to fly nearly 900 miles to one of the most populous urban areas in the world, Kolkata, India, and make their way to Town Hall.

CRAZY TRAFFICLanding in Kolkata, the eight teams ran out of the airport into a massive sea of people as they searched for taxis to take them to Town Hall. Zev asked, "Why are there so many people?" Mallory shouted, "I already love India!" Once teams flagged down drivers, they held on for dear life as they experienced the thrills of riding in a taxi through India. Luke signed to his mother, "I think we are driving on the train tracks." Commenting on his driving dodging in and out of traffic, Jet said, "This guy's got some nerve." After his driver ran a red light, Justin pleaded, "Take it easy!" A petrified Ron & Christina didn't know what to say when their taxi almost got hit by a large truck. Arriving at the Town Hall, Flight Time & Big Easy and Justin & Zev saw the sign saying it wouldn't open until 10am and began bedding down for the night with the other six teams joining them.

REMEMBER THE TEAThe next morning at 10am, a guard came to the front gates of Town Hall and opened them up, allowing the eight teams to race into the hall, up the stairs, and rip open their clue, a Roadblock. Kolkata has always been the point where Chinese tea came to India and Indian tea left for China. Now, in this place where flavors have been traded for centuries, teams faced a Roadblock that pushed their powers of perception to the extreme. First, teams had to gather one papaya and one mango, native fruits of India, and bring them along with their brick of tea from China to the tea auctioneer. Once the auctioneer infused the flavors, teams had to find the same tea they tasted at the shop in China amongst hundreds of cups filled with vast arrays of flavors. Once they found the correct tea, they would receive a bottle of iced tea from the tea auctioneer with a clue under the cap.

One by one, Jet, Kent, Flight Time, Kisha, Luke, Ron, Zev, and Mallory all presented their mango and papaya to the tea auctioneer along with the brick of tea they carried from China. Walking over to the sprawling table filled with hundreds of cups of tea ranging in colors from light to dark, the racers got down to the ancient Indian tradition of tea tasting which can take years to master. Big Easy encouraged Flight Time, "Think back! Remember it baby! Remember it!" When Jen told Kisha to remember the color, Kisha said, "I'm trying to remember if it was light or dark." Peering over the many cups, Ron later said, "I just tried to see if I could smell or look at the color and the waif of the mango did come through." After drinking the mango and papaya infused tea, Ron presented the empty cup to the tea auctioneer who handed Ron a bottle of tea. Opening the top of the bottle and looking under the cap, Ron & Christina discovered they had to make their way to the Jorashanko area and find the Tiwari Tea Stall.

One by one, Jet, Kisha, Kent, and Mallory used their powers of perception to find the mango and papaya infused tea until only Flight Time, Luke, and Zev remained at the table. Zev later admitted, "I had no idea what the tea tasted like. I just started drinking away and hopefully come up lucky." Starting to become frustrated, Luke signed, "I don't know. This is tough." Big Easy continued to encourage Flight Time, saying, "The quicker you grab it, the quicker you get back out there." With all the teas starting to taste the same to Zev, he presented another wrong guess to the tea auctioneer and then dropped the cup in frustration as he walked back to the table. Justin joked, "He's not gonna be much fun after this." However, after his moment of crisis, Zev picked up the next cup, drank it, and offered it to the auctioneer who accepted it in exchange for the bottle of tea and Zev's next clue under the cap.

DELIVERY DETOURWhile Luke and Flight Time continued to taste teas, dating Goths Kent & Vyxsin arrived at the Tiwari Tea Stall in first place to find a Detour having the choice of Hindu Art or Bengali Literature. In Hindu Art, teams made their way to a statuary shop where they had to paint, dress, and adorn a statue of a Hindu god called Ganesha. When their work matched the intricate designs of the example, teams would receive their next clue. In Bengali Literature, teams made their way to a bookstore where they would be given eight stacks of children's books. Then, teams had to squeeze themselves and their books into the back of a rickshaw school bus. Once inside, they had to direct their rickshaw driver through the congested streets of Kolkata to a nearby school.

As Kent & Vyxsin, Ron & Christina, and Kisha & Jen all started painting their Ganesha statue, father and daughter Gary & Mallory walked through the streets of Kolkata to the bookshop where they picked up the eight large stacks of books and put the into a rickshaw school bus, painted yellow just like school buses in America. After asking a local for directions to the Victoria Primary School, the father and daughter jumped into the caged rickshaw as Gary said, "I feel like a monkey in a circus parade." Dropping off the books at the school, the father and daughter opened up their next clue sending them to the Pit Stop near the Fountain of Joy and Victoria Memorial.

WINNING IN STYLEJumping out of their taxi at the Victoria Memorial, Gary & Mallory spotted Phil on the mat and excitedly ran to him. When Phil told the father and daughter they were team number one, they shouted in excitement and disbelief. Phil then told them that Snapple created two new Limited Edition Snapple teas inspired by the mango and papaya flavors that were infused in the tea and offered the thirsty pair a chance to be the first to try it. As the winners of this leg, Snapple treated Gary & Mallory to some of the best stuff in India: an extraordinary Indian feast while being entertained by a special performance of a Bollywood inspired dance plus one million rupees, or more than $20,000 US. An excited Mallory squealed, "We got a special tea!"

DON'T GIVE UPWhen Flight Time finally found the mango and papaya infused tea, a desperate and unhappy Luke, now in last place, began to cry as he continued to present wrong guesses to the tea auctioneer. Walking to over to Margie, Luke sobbed, "It's too hard." Margie encouraged her son, saying, "You can finish this." However, once Luke walked away, Margie confessed she wasn't sure if he could finish it. With tears in her eyes, Margie says, "He feels like he let me down, but I'm so proud of him." With another round of wrong guesses, Luke's mood worsened as he again broke down sobbing. Margie gave her son a big hug and told him, "I know how you'll feel if you don't finish. Please just finish, okay?" Determined to now find the tea that eluded him thus far, Luke gathered a tray of cups hoping one was correct, and began presenting them to the auctioneer. After several more tries, Luke finally received his bottle of tea from the auctioneer as Margie screamed with excitement. In the taxi, Margie gushed, "I'm so proud of him. He just hung in there."

Between Kent & Vyxsin, Kisha & Jen, and Ron & Christina painting the statue and Jet & Cord and Zev & Justin delivering books, the five teams all raced in taxis through the packed streets of Kolkata to the Pit Stop in an incredibly tight race. Arriving at Victoria Memorial within moments of each other, a footrace broke out between the teams that ended with cowboys Jet & Cord in second place, father and daughter Ron & Christina in third place, and Zev & Justin in fourth place. As those three teams toasted with the Limited Edition Snapple tea, dating Goths Kent & Vyxsin crashed the party on the mat taking fifth place. Sisters Kisha & Jen ended the day in sixth place.

TRIPPED UPIn seventh place, Harlem Globetrotters Flight Time & Big Easy began painting their Ganesha hoping to stay ahead of last place Margie & Luke. Using the bright pink paint, the Globetrotters painted all four of the statue's arms and its large belly. By the time, Margie & Luke arrived at the statuary, Flight Time & Big Easy completed the painting and moved onto the decoration and adornment of their statue. However, in a moment of clumsiness, Flight Time knocked over a brown can of paint and splattered their statue forcing them to redo parts giving Margie & Luke a chance to catch up. Flight Time apologized to his partner and the two used their paintbrushes to keep a narrow lead over Margie & Luke. After finishing the adornments to their Ganesha, the Globetrotters ripped open their clue and ran off to find a taxi, but not before Flight Time gave Luke & Margie both a hug, later saying, "I knew how hard it was with the tea. Just respect for not giving up." A thankful Margie said, "That was so sweet of him to do that."

AN EMOTIONAL ENDAlthough the Globetrotters had problems finding a taxi giving Margie & Luke one last chance to catch up, Flight Time & Big Easy managed to reach the Pit Stop near Victoria Memorial in seventh place. When talking about Flight Time's determination, Big Easy got emotional, telling Phil, "I knew he was doing it because he didn't want to let me down. To see him go that hard, it touched me." Flight Time added, "You don't get a lot of second chances in life. We're trying to last as long as we can."

Stepping onto the mat in last place, mother and son Margie & Luke received the bad news from Phil that they had been eliminated from the race. Margie said, "It's been an emotional afternoon for both of us. I don't hold him responsible for us being eliminated." A reflective Luke said, "Being on The Amazing Race was a big dream for me. I never thought I could be on The Amazing Race in a million years. I had a wonderful time racing with my mom."

1806 ROUTE MARKERS

Detour: A Detour is choice between two tasks, each with its pros and cons. In this Detour, teams had the choice of Hindu Art or Bengali Literature. In Hindu Art, teams made their way to a statuary shop where they had to paint, dress, and adorn a statue of a Hindu god called Ganesha. When their work matched the intricate designs of the example, teams would receive their next clue. In Bengali Literature, teams made their way to a bookstore where they would be given eight stacks of children's books. Then, teams had to squeeze themselves and their books into the back of a rickshaw school bus. Once inside, they had to direct their rickshaw driver through the congested streets of Kolkata to a nearby school.

Roadblock: A Roadblock is a task that only one team member performs. Kolkata has always been the point where Chinese tea came to India and Indian tea left for China. Now, in this place where flavors have been traded for centuries, teams faced a Roadblock that pushed their powers of perception to the extreme. First, teams had to gather one papaya and one mango, native fruits of India, and bring them along with their brick of tea from China to the tea auctioneer. Once the auctioneer infused the flavors, teams had to find the same tea they tasted at the shop in China amongst hundreds of cups filled with vast arrays of flavors. Once they found the correct tea, they would receive a bottle of iced tea from the tea auctioneer with a clue under the cap.